>Trouble

>By the end of last week, I knew that my marriage had changed.

My husband and I had gotten to the point where we were barely speaking. We had become distant, almost strangers in the same house.

While once we had hugged and touched often, casually and at every opportunity, suddenly there was no physical contact whatsoever. At one point, Hubs unthinkingly put his arm around me and I shrank away. Afterward, I couldn’t meet his gaze.

At night, we lay quiet on either side of the bed, our silence saying more than words ever could. By day, when Hubs did speak, it was only to complain.

Meanwhile, I kept my suffering to myself, slogging through each day with a stony face. I felt resentful and overworked. I was a horrible mother, too down and out to do much more for my kids than put a new movie on the DVD every so often. I stared out the window the other day in frustration, one tear slowly rolling down my cheek.

“What’s wrong, Mommy?” Punky asked worriedly from the kitchen table.

“When you’re feeling bad, I take care of you,” I told her. “But when mommy feels bad, there’s no one to take care of me.”

“I’ll take care of you,” Punky said softly, coming around and hugging my legs. Despite myself, I smiled.

“I know you will, honey,” I said, ruffling her hair. “You always do.”

“What’s happened to us?” Hubs finally asked a few evenings ago. “We used to be so close. But now, we’ve never been farther apart.”

We knew we had to get help.

We made an appointment and went in to see someone we hoped could save our marriage. He told us exactly what we needed to know.

“You both have strep,” he said. “I’m writing you prescriptions for Amoxicillin.”

Five days later, our throats are no longer sore. Our sinuses are clear. The magic is back.

We’ve never been more in love.

This post originally appeared on Parents.com.